‘Learning needs to be byte-sized and bite-sized'

A father asks his daughter how her day at school was. She replies by saying, “You can read about it on my blog.”

This is Generation Z. Quick. Active. Impatient.

Speaking on ‘Engaging the Gen Z' to the students of the Department of Management Studies, University of Madras, in a Business Line Club guest lecture organised by Business Line and presenting sponsor, Central Bank of India, Ms Hema Parikh, Director (HR), Ajuba Solutions India Pvt Ltd, said, “This generation is already born with the technology that we learnt over the years. Today, the youth is very active on social media, is globally connected and enjoys access to a lot of data.”

Globally connected

She added that for Gen Z, today, geographical boundaries don't matter. One can efficiently work with someone employed with their company's branch in the UK and be friends with someone in Chicago.

Areas of change

Ms Parikh said there have been changes in her organisation as well. They have had to constantly upgrade themselves to keep pace with Gen Z and give the workforce challenging assignments.

“Today, this generation wants results quickly. For that, they are willing to work flexible hours at any place, at any time. Another significant factor that needs to be kept in mind is the concept of an ‘open door policy'. Youngsters want a ‘friend' more than a ‘boss'. They should be able to freely express their thoughts, suggestions and voice their opinion among their seniors.”

Ms Parikh believes that keeping up with the trends of this generation is extremely important for an employer. At her organisation, Ajuba Solutions, they deal with a lot of fresh graduates and hence have adjusted accordingly.

Types of jobs

“At Ajuba Solutions, Ms Parikh said, there are positions like ‘social media manager', ‘certified ethical hacker' and ‘gross stunt researcher'. This is because youngsters today are looking for ‘out of the box' jobs. Social media has a big impact on our lives now. Communication needs to be as casual as possible because that is the language the generation speaks.”

Short, crisp, online education is what they prefer these days. “Learning needs to be byte-sized and bite-sized.”

“While this has positive sides, as innovation and productivity get enhanced, the generation also has reduced interpersonal skills, she said. This is one drawback that comes with technology,” Ms Parikh said.

navadha.p@thehindu.co.in

COMMENT NOW